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Led by Alan Jenkins and Julie Rowe from The Opportunity Agenda
Elections are stellar opportunities to shape public dialogue about issues important to us. When our issues emerge on the political landscape, we can inject into the debate a new vocabulary that illuminates for the public what is really at stake: our national values. Learn how to frame social justice issues as matters of opportunity and community values, and how to tell stories that activate public concern, get policymakers’ attention, and elevate the debate beyond the typical rhetoric and verbal jabs.
Reality is ever-shifting for most Americans. Who we are and how we live is evolving in unprecedented ways. How will we adjust to the deepening diversity in our country? Immigration, demographics and “The Right to the City” are some of the core issues explored in this plenary.
John Edwards, former U.S. senator and former vice-presidential candidate in conversation with David Brancaccio, host of PBS’ NOW.
Democracy is not static. Our governing values are being tested by the power of special interests and the manipulation of the electoral system. At the same time, a stronger multicultural and multireligious pluralism is emerging to re-define and bolster the democratic process. This plenary examines ongoing corruption, the new role of faith in a post-9/11 world, and more.
For the first time since 1992, we can more than just hope that the U.S. healthcare crisis will somehow be solved—we can see real possibilities emerging. Already on the ground and in the trenches in the U.S. and abroad, Momentum’s Health plenary speakers are laying the foundation for system-wide changes, while making a difference for those who are so marginalized by failing healthcare policies.
Progressives have had a lot to criticize over the past decade and more, but what do we really want? What new policies and approaches should we advocate? How do the benefits of the incredible American economic engine reach AL of the people? Micro-lending, global poverty, and new ways of investing are just some of the topics our speakers will address.
Our government’s shift to an aggressive and repressive foreign policy has both diminished our standing in the world and made us more vulnerable. The war mentality—on terrorism, on drugs, against diversity and human rights—has caused much damage. What will the reparations be? How can progressives promote a just, broad-based truce? And how do we address the complexity of the Middle East in a better way?
The dissemination and consumption of information is at an all-time high, yet the line between information as a product to move and truth as an essential facet of a healthy society is more blurred than ever. People who seek objectivity have turned to the Internet in staggering numbers, resulting in a radically new media landscape. How is the media supporting progressive causes, what are its pitfalls, and how will we create new standards for journalistic accountability?
Climate change is underway, and it will not play favorites. How will this change us? How can we swing the pendulum in the other direction? What does it mean for the next generation? Will a new U.S. administration take us swiftly in the right direction, or will the status quo prevail? This plenary offers five perspectives on our Earth and the emerging trends in eco-ethics and sustainability.
